Top 10 live experiences of 2016

Walkers' Crisp Sarnie Cafe and the UberPool Party are among the best live events of 2016.

1. Crisp Sarnie Cafe by Walkers

Walkers brought its "Barmy for sarnies" campaign to life in September with a Crisp Sarnie Cafe hidden behind a shelf in a newsagent called Chris Peters News.

The activation, conceived by World of Initials with support from The Halo Group, showcased Walkers’ limited-edition range of sandwich-flavoured crisps.

After entering the newsagent, guests uttered a password to access the theatrical cafe, which featured oversized crisp packets, a giant fake sandwich to lie in and a menu to order a bespoke crisp sandwich.

2. L’Eden by Perrier-Jouët

Champagne brand Perrier-Jouët hosted L’Eden, an immersive experience themed around a vision of nature, during London Design Week and London Fashion Week to celebrate two of the capital’s biggest cultural events.

Featuring the world’s first bio-responsive garden by Bompas & Parr and a light garden designed by Noé Duchaufour Lawrance, where guests could pluck Champagne flutes from hanging vines, the Wardour Street space welcomed 2,650 people across 11 days and 61 events.

The production was implemented by Sparklestreet, with support from Made Up.

3. World’s Smallest Festival by Hunter

Hunter turned to Amplify for a creative solution to celebrate the festival spirit that the brand embraces. Amplify created the "World’s Smallest Festival" – an event in a portable toilet complete with music, grass, props, lighting and buskers.

There was also a hidden gif booth through a partnership with Giphy. When guests pressed the flush button, a secret door opened and they were handed branded giveaways.

4. Forced to Flee by Save the Children

Forced to Flee, an event by Save the Children in a secret London location, gave a voice to those who have been affected by conflict around the world while highlighting the charity’s work.

The 45-minute experience, created by PD3, began in a locker room, where visitors were given a backpack before stepping into the role of children who have been forced to leave their homes due to violence and conflict.

Using binaural 3D audio technology, visitors heard the children’s stories as they walked from conflict zones to a war-torn classroom and eventually to a safe centre.

5. Fandome by Hyundai

Euro 2016 activations came thick and fast to London but the behemoth was undoubtedly Hyundai’s Fandome. Nicknamed "football heaven", the dome screened 51 matches during the tournament via a 91-metre, 360-degree screen.

Using real-time technology, the venue offered an interactive experience as everything from goals, penalties, national anthems and injury time triggered a unique audiovisual response. More than 37,000 fans signed up for tickets and the supporting media campaign delivered in excess of 13 million impressions and earned media that topped £4.5m. Produce UK was behind the event.

6. UberPool Party by Uber

Uber said goodbye to the summer in style with a pool party. The activation, implemented by PrettyGreen, showcased the brand’s ride-sharing service UberPool and took place at Boxpark in Shoreditch, giving Londoners a chance to take a splash in the pool, accompanied by inflatable beach balls and deckchairs.

Visitors could also unwind poolside with friends for up to an hour to wave goodbye to the late summer nights.

7. Alcatrapped by Norwegian

An escape room, created by MKTG, appeared at Westfield London to promote low-cost airline Norwegian’s new route from London Gatwick to Oakland International Airport near San Francisco. It challenged teams to break out of an Alcatraz-inspired cell within 15 minutes.

The room contained San Francisco-themed tips, clues and puzzles that need to be solved in order for participants to escape. Those who succeeded were in with a chance to win flights to Oakland.

8. The Dining Club by Ikea

Ikea received 3,800 requests for a slot at its Shoreditch dining club, a 16-day event inviting guests to be the chef at a DIY restaurant. Visitors could prepare a meal under the supervision of an expert head chef before dining with friends.

The experience, by Drive Worldwide, was accompanied by a cafe serving Swedish delicacies, a virtual-reality kitchen and an on-site shop. There were also workshops covering everything from clean eating to creative cooking with kids.

9. Good Ship Benefit by Benefit

Benefit is hardly a newcomer on the experiential scene but its 2016 event surpassed all previous efforts in terms of scale. The three-storey Good Ship Benefit docked at London Embankment for five months, promoting the beauty brand’s "hero" products in five distinct spaces.

The Persuaders handled design and construction of the vessel, while Us Creative helped to bring the idea to life.

10. Chocolatory by Kit Kat

Westfield Stratford City welcomed Kit Kat’s Chocolatory pop-up, created by We Are Fearless, for five weeks inviting people to "create your break". Drawing on the appetite for personalisation, visitors could design their own Kit Kat bar using a tablet to choose coating, flavour and packaging.